SALEM Officials postpone decision on 911

A planner invited the lawmakers to point out the 'hidden costs' they perceive.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Citing continuing concerns about costs, city council is postponing a decision on whether to convert the city's police and fire dispatching center into a 911 answering point.
In October, council cited similar reasons in rejecting an answering-point proposal from planners of a modernized 911 system.
Council met again Wednesday to reconsider the matter and opted to delay making a decision until sometime before the end of January.
Some council members said they are fearful that answering 911 calls will cost the city additional money, although they have been assured by 911 planners that it won't.
Quotable
"I still have a concern about future costs," said Councilman Steve Andres, D-2nd.
"If any of you come across some hidden costs, I'd like to know about it," said Columbiana County Commissioner Gary Williams, a 911 planner.
The 911 answering-point proposal has been examined by planners, and no hidden costs have been detected, he added.
Last month, voters adopted a 50-cent monthly surcharge that will raise about $270,000 annually to help fund the new 911 system, which will not go into effect for about two years.
The county also will receive a one-time payment of $400,000 as part of a service dispute settlement between the state and Ameritech.
That money also will be put into the new 911 system. Part of the revenue will go toward buying equipment, providing training and maintenance, and paying for periodic technical upgrades for the 911 answering points.
East Liverpool, East Palestine and Columbiana already have agreed to take on the duty. An answering point also will be run through the sheriff's office.
Equipment
The new system will feature equipment that will allow emergency dispatchers to instantly detect the address from which a 911 call is being placed as well as other vital details.
Salem's dispatching center already answers emergency calls for the city and Perry Township. The center's duties would remain unchanged if the facility, housed in a small room in the police station, becomes a 911 answering point, planners say.
Salem Police Chief Mike Weitz told council that the move would likely require alterations to the city dispatching room to house the 911 equipment.
Rick Hager, 911 service manager for SBC, a telephone company, said the answering-point equipment is about the size of a personal computer.
If city council rejects the answering-point proposal, 911 calls placed from the city or township will be picked up by the sheriff's department and transferred to city dispatchers, which will cause a delay of less than a minute, officials have said.